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<title>Coffee-Cats-Home (Neil lives out of his car remix) by Autumnalpalmetto</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27552349">Coffee-Cats-Home (Neil lives out of his car remix)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Autumnalpalmetto/pseuds/Autumnalpalmetto'>Autumnalpalmetto</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>All For The Game - Nora Sakavic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops &amp; Cafés, Alternate Universe - Homeless, Cats, Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M, Meet-Cute</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 18:20:47</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,076</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27552349</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Autumnalpalmetto/pseuds/Autumnalpalmetto</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After losing the room he was renting, Neil has no choice but to live out of his car. The heater doesn't work well-or at all really-and he needs to find a place to stay warm during the day. Enter a barista who is a little too lenient on letting cats into his coffee shop, and a little too ready to invite strangers into his home.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>320</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>AFTG Remix 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Coffee-Cats-Home (Neil lives out of his car remix)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/fortheloveofcamelot/gifts">Leahelisabeth (fortheloveofcamelot)</a>.</li>


        <li>
            Inspired by

            <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/20204320">Coffee-Cats-Home</a> by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/fortheloveofcamelot/pseuds/Leahelisabeth">Leahelisabeth (fortheloveofcamelot)</a>.
        </li>

    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is for the AFTG 2020 Remix, be sure to read the original by Leah!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Living out of his car wasn’t the worst situation Neil could imagine. However, living out of a 25-year-old Nissan with no heat wasn’t exactly ideal now that the rainy season had started. Neil had his duffle bag packed with everything he owned and his backpack ready to go with everything his cat, King owned. The local pet stores would let them walk around for a while, and King was good on a cat leash, but the employees would start to get suspicious and follow them around after an hour or two. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The local coffee shop was second best, King had to stay in her backpack, but she didn’t mind. She liked to look through the clear plastic window and watch people watch. Neil had stayed away until now because they had a no pet policy, but it was too cold to stay in the car all day. The short, blonde barista clocked the cat immediately, sending Neil a raised eyebrow, but he didn’t say anything. Neil nodded at him, heading to the table in the far corner. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The first hour passed quickly as Neil looked for some sort of suitable housing. The likelihood that anywhere reputable would let him in when he had no credit and no job was slim to none, but he had to try, for King. Technically he had the money to pay for rent in his savings, at least for a few months, but that didn’t seem to matter to most of the places he’d tried. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Neil got up and stretched, walking over to the counter to grab a black coffee. He wished he could let King do the same, but he was pushing his luck as it was. The blonde barista didn’t have a nametag, so Neil named him buff blonde in his head as he silently celebrated finally being taller than someone. At 5’3” Neil was rarely taller than anyone over the age of 12, but he had a solid three inches on this guy. If the guy’s arm wasn’t as big as Neil’s head he probably would have made a comment, but the only things that came to mind were about overcompensating for something and a comment like that was likely to get him kicked out. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>With his coffee in hand, Neil sat down and went about looking over the newspaper for jobs. The apartment hunt had been a bust, but maybe the paper would prove itself worth the dollar he paid for it by offering him a job. Hours passed with no luck, if he really wanted to apply for a job he’d need to go to the library and do it online, but the librarian knew him and would ban him forever if he brought King in one more time. Leaving her in the car was an option, but Neil hated doing that. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When his coffee went cold, he didn’t bother buying a new one. Instead, he looked out the large window and listened to the weird instrumental playlist they had playing over the speakers. The same seven songs repeated over and over again. Buff Blonde sent him a look, then went into the back, he seemed to be the only one working the front. After five minutes of no sightings of other people, Neil pulled King out and let her settle down on his lap. She deserved it after so long in the backpack. Buff Blonde sent him a raised eyebrow when he came back and Neil nodded at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>If this place was quiet and willing to let him bring his cat in, it might just become his new home away from home. King bumped her head into Neil’s hand and he started petting her, it was probably the nicest day they had had in quite a long time. A few customers came in over the next hour, none of them noticing Neil or the fact that he had a cat on his lap. He pulled his hoodie over her when no one was paying attention and she rubbed her soft fur over his stomach. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Another blonde guy started just before the afternoon rush, but he was a good eight or nine inches taller than the other one and he seemed to have a chip on his shoulder. Neil started calling him Brutish Blonde because he seemed to start an argument with everyone he talked to. It was ironic that the taller, leaner one was the brutish one, because the short one looked like he could win a fight against almost anyone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Neil zoned out at the next onslaught of customers rushed in to warm up with hot drinks. Brutish Blonde argued over what the difference between a mocha and a latte was with some random person, while Buff Blonde did all the actual work. The noise fell into the background of Neil’s thoughts as he watched people on the street. They ran from the shop doors to their cars, covering their precious new purchases. With King purring on his lap Neil could have fallen asleep right there. The sound of the rain drowned out the voices and Neil forgot himself for a moment. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A harsh knock on the table brought it all rushing back to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Excuse me,” Brutish Blonde said, looking down at Neil like he was vermin. “I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Neil looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. “Why?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tables are for paying customers.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Neil lifted his empty cup. “I am a paying customer.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You haven’t bought anything in the last two hours since I got here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>King chose then to stick her head out of Neil’s hoody and meow at the man. Neil hushed her, but the damage was done.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Brutish Blonde looked like he was about to explode on Neil as his face turned red. “You need to take your cat and leave now. Pets are not welcome.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Neil didn’t move fast enough the man turned and called for his boss. Buff Blonde walked over slowly, slinging a towel over his shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What seems to be the problem here?” his voice was completely monotone, as it had been all day. Neil had no idea if he was incredibly bored or if that was just how he spoke.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This man brought a cat into our restaurant and is refusing to leave.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Neil tried to defend himself, but Buff Blonde held up a hand to stop him. He may have been shorter than his coworker, but his presence was larger.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jack, if you try to throw a cat out in this weather I will report you for animal abuse.” He glared for a minute, letting his words sink in. “Am I clear?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fine,” Brutish Blonde, Jack, stomped his foot and marched into the back room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Refill?” Buff Blonde asked, holding out his hand for the cup. He pointed over his shoulder at the sign. “Coffee refills are free.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, uh,” Neil stuttered. “Sure?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that a question or an answer?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Both.” Neil rolled his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Buff Blonde took the cup and walked away, taking his presence with him. Neil had no idea how such a short man could take up so much space in a room. King meowed again, drawing his attention to her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You little gremlin, you almost got us kicked out of here.” Neil tried to be stern, but he cracked a smile when she looked up at him. “Yeah, yeah, I know you’re tired of this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s her name?” Buff Blonde appeared out of nowhere, making both Neil and King jump. “Sorry.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Her name is King.” Buff Blonde nodded setting the cup down on the table. “And I’m Neil by the way.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Andrew.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The silence grew, both waiting for the other to speak. Neil wanted to thank him for saving them, but he didn’t want to admit to a stranger that he had nowhere else to go. Finally, King poked her head out again and stretched toward Buff Blonde, Andrew.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hi baby,” Andrew said, voice changing tone for the first time all day. “Is your dad taking good care of you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She meowed and reached her paw toward him, inviting him to pet her. Andrew nodded his head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, you let me know if anything changes, King.” Andrew looked at Neil, tilting his head to the side as he examined him. “Cat in a coffee shop? Really? Nowhere else to be?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We have other options,” Neil said defensively. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Andrew looked him up and down. “Are they all as tragic as this one?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fuck you.” Neil grabbed King’s backpack and started to shove his newspaper in the bottom of it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He knew how he looked. Ragged clothes, not buying anything other than a dollar coffee, bringing his cat into shops. But he could take care of himself and his cat. They didn’t need some random person’s judgment. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Andrew knocked on the table twice. “You know if you ever need a place to stay people rent rooms out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know. I just got kicked out of the room I was renting in a house.” Neil snapped. He grimaced when he realized he just gave away everything about his situation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where are you staying now?” Andrew was back to his monotone voice, no pity came through.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Neil sighed. “We’ve been living in my car for a week now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not bad.” Andrew nodded. “I have a room for rent if you need one.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No thanks,” Neil said as kindly as he could. “I’ll figure something out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Andrew nodded again, going back to his work station. Jack immediately asked how much the room was, and Andrew just blinked at him, stating he had no idea what he was talking about. Neil smiled to himself and ran his hand over King’s soft fur. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He left half an hour later when the rain started to let up. If he was lucky he’d be able to make it to his car before it started pouring again. </span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>Neil moved parking lots every night. No one noticed a car parked overnight once, but when it was there for multiple days in a row it drew attention. He wanted to stay away from repeating lots for as long as possible. Big store lots were his first option, but after a week he was out of them. From there he started looking at apartment complexes that had guest parking, with five big ones looking decent. If he switched between the seven commercial lots and five apartment complexes, there should be enough time between each stay that no one would get too nosey. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>King curled up in the back window as he drove around all evening, finally parking in an apartment lot just before 9 pm. She meowed at him and he dug for her leash so he could take her on a walk. There was no room for a little box in the car, so they made do with frequent walks like she was a dog. Neil threw his winter jacket on over his hoody and put her harness on her. It was dry when they stepped out of the car, but of course, it started raining as soon as they took a step. King was grumpy about being wet, but she didn’t complain. The sooner she did her thing, the sooner they would be back in the dry car, she knew that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know,” a dull voice said from behind them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Neil jumped and King hissed at the sound.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I still have that room for rent.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Andrew stepped away from the wall and into the street light, holding a cigarette. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What the fuck, did you follow me?” Neil and King both took a step back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I should be asking you that, asshole.” Andrew dropped the cigarette in a puddle and ground it out with his boot for good measure. “First you show up at my place of employment. Now you show up at my house. A man could get suspicious.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Neil took another step back, pulling King with him. “No one notices a new car in guest parking for one night.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Andrew nodded. “Come on, grab your shit. I have running water and food, you look like you need both.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Neil tried to take another step back, but tripped over the curb and fell on his ass. Andrew held out his hand to help him up. When Neil didn’t take it, Andrew waved it in front of his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t bite and I guarantee King will be happier in my apartment than she is in your car.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This time when Andrew offered his hand Neil took it. A good night’s sleep in a warm building would do wonders for both him and King. He could always leave in the early morning before Andrew woke up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Neil grabbed his and King’s bags from the car while Andrew carried the poor soaking wet cat. The apartment was warm, and there was fresh food in the fridge. Andrew made Neil shower and change before he let him sit on any of the furniture or eat anything. When he got out of the shower King was wrapped in a towel on Andrew’s lap purring. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Traitor,” Neil whispered to her as he sat down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Andrew shoved a plate of food toward him and turned on the TV.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The room is 300 a month, due on the first if you want it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Neil didn’t want to say he’d be gone before Andrew woke up, so he shoved a bite of food in his mouth and pretended to think about it. Now that he was dry, and not trying to decide if Andrew was going to attack him, he could get a look at the house. It was simple yet cozy, lighter than he would have expected for such a serious man. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you have a cat?” Neil asked as he noticed the cat tree in the corner. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She’s in my room hiding. Sir doesn’t like new people.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Neil chuckled. “Will she be upset that you’ve been cheating on her with another cat?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Andrew snorted out an almost laugh. “Probably. “</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They fell into silence. It was weirdly comforting to be sitting there in Andrew’s living room. Neil felt more at home there after twenty minutes than he had after three months in the last room he rented. Some old sitcom played on the TV but Neil didn’t really pay attention to it, now that he wasn’t fighting for his and King’s lives he was exhausted. He started to doze off on the couch, only to be woken up by a knock on the door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey Andrew,” a deep voice called out. “I know you’re home, I saw your lights from the street.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mother fucker,” Andrew said under his breath.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He went to the door and opened it. Neil watched as a tall thin man begged Andrew to go on a date with him. After a few minutes, Neil felt like he was going to die of embarrassment for this guy. Andrew was letting him say what he needed to say, but it was clear he had no interest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey baby,” Neil called out. “Who was at the door?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No one, Love,” Andrew called back to him. “Go back to bed, I’ll be in in a minute.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay baby, be sure to feed the cats on your way in.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The man froze looking like he was going to be sick. Neil had no idea how the man hadn’t noticed him on the couch. He was so caught up in Andrew he didn’t notice anything else. King wandered over to Andrew and meowed at his feet until he picked her up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I… uhh…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good night, lose my number and my address.” Andrew closed the door in his face and locked it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sat King in Neil’s lap and went to the kitchen to pour himself a glass of whiskey. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good thinking,” Andrew said. He downed the glass in one go and poured another. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who was that guy?” Neil didn’t want to pry, but it was too hard not to.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Some guy I hooked up with last week. Made the mistake of bringing him to my place and now he thinks we’re dating.” Andrew sipped his whisky and closed his eyes. “Apparently, ‘this is a one time thing’ was not clear enough for him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh yeah, I can see how a firm boundary like that could be misunderstood.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Andrew huffed. “Exactly.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He held out the glass to Neil when he sat down on the couch, but Neil didn’t want to drink in a stranger’s house. Andrew nodded and let it go. Neil dosed off a few minutes later, curling up on the couch with King on his lap.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He woke up swinging his arm when a weight settled over his body.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Andrew deflected the hit easily. “Relax, I’m just giving you a blanket.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Neil couldn’t focus on Andrew or anything else in the room. His breathing became faster and faster until it stopped completely. A heavy hand settled on his neck pushing him forward until his head was between his knees while another hand patted his back roughly twice, forcing him to start breathing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I shouldn’t have touched you in your sleep,” Andrew said when he caught his breath. “I apologize.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s fine.” Neil sat up and wrapped the blanket around himself, looking around the room for King. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She sat in the hallway with an orange, white, and gray calico cat. They both stared at Neil, then came forward and wound themselves around his feet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Andrew got up and went to the kitchen. He dug through a drawer for a minute until he found what he was looking for. When he returned he had two keys on a keychain.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This one is for the front door,” Andrew said as he held them up. “This one is for the second bedroom. There’s only one key so if you lose this we have to break the door.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Or pick the lock?” Neil asked, accepting the keys when Andrew handed them to him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That takes all the fun out of it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Andrew stood up and went to his room, leaving the door cracked for the cat. He didn’t say goodnight or anything, but Neil was fine with that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He picked up King and carried her into his new room, shutting and locking the door behind Sir when she followed them in too. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Asshole cat stealer,” Andrew called out a moment later. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Neil smiled to himself. Maybe he wouldn’t leave before Andrew woke after all. </span>
</p>
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